Sunday, March 23, 2014

Native Mobile Apps Vs HTML5 Mobile Apps

Technology plays a pivotal role in today’s markets as businesses are constantly thinking of new ways to boost their revenue, and reach out to an increasing number of customers. As a result, one of the hottest competition in today’s technology markets is the rivalry between the use of Native Mobile Apps and HTML 5 Mobile Apps. While both of them have their individual gains, they also have their limitations.

Native Mobile Apps
Native apps run on your iPhone or Android device. To use them, individuals/ businesses need to purchase them from its respective distribution platforms, viz., the Apple Apps Store or Google Play. All you need to do is to install these applications directly on your tablet, smart phone or mobile device.

Benefits
Native apps not only offer total user control but you can also use the cache memory to store the last visits. Hence, the use of application is not dependent on the network or internet connectivity. They are also reliable as you can easily download apps that you want directly from the Apps Store or Google Play. Additionally, when it comes to smooth user experience and high performance, this is indeed a better choice. Monetary benefits are also more because stores generate higher revenues.

Limitations
Unlike HTML 5, native apps face higher deployment costs across multi-platforms. Similarly, there are also limitations involving updates and distribution control with native applications. Since there is no cross-platform support, one faces problems during fragmentation. The number of developers offering such apps are also less, which makes finding of such compatible apps difficult compared to HTML 5.

HTML 5 Mobile Apps
HTML 5 mobile applications use the web HTML 5 technology for their development. They can run across any platform that supports a standardized modern browser. This includes Symbian, Blackberry, iOS, and Android. Additionally, one can easily access live applications by using the web browser installed on their mobile device.

Benefits
HTML 5 apps are all about cost savings. Since it is based on the browser, compatibility with the screen size of the device is not an issue. Marketing of apps happens directly through the website.

Limitations
When it comes to performance, HTML 5 is lower than native mobile apps. It does not have a notification feature, camera access, contact and calendar access, nor pinch and spread support.


The bottom line is that there is no clear winner when it comes to comparing Native Mobile apps versus HTML 5 mobile apps, as most mobile consumers go for native apps with a higher propensity. However, for enterprise platforms, HTML 5 emerges as the clear winner.